The present invention is directed to a plastic clamp and more particularly, to a plastic clamp of the type for retaining a plurality of cables, wires or the like in juxtaposition with one another adjacent a wall surface.
With the advent of an increased use of electrical or electronic devices, both in the work place and in the home, the number of cables, wires or the like which are necessary to connect various elements to a suitable outlet, or to interconnect the elements one to the other, has increased. A problem often arises when the number of cables and wires are confined to a small area where personnel are required to move about the units. It is obvious that the wires or cables would present a danger to personnel walking about the area if they were allowed to remain in haphazard orientation across the floor of a room where the various electronic units were in service and therefore, it is desirable to maintain the cables or wires in some orderly fashion and to fasten them securely to a vertical wall where they present no danger to foot traffic in the area.
It is also desirable in most instances where the wires or cables may be quite numerous to maintain the cables in juxtaposition with one another while keeping them separated, such that the wires and cables do not become twisted and may be readily identified when it is necessary to remove the particular cable to another position.
In the past, the need for devices which would accommodate a plurality of conduits or electrical conductors has not gone unnoticed, and various devices to accomplish the retaining of such members to a vertical surface have been proposed. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,187 to F. E. Rider issued on Jan. 14, 1969.
Although some of these devices have proved effective, there is still a need for a device which features the rigidity required to maintained cables, wires or the like firmly in lace, while allowing an operator to remove and install the cables or the like without requiring a second person to aid in the operation. In many of the prior art devices, the choice of material must be made such that a rigid structure is provided for maintaining the cables adjacent the wall structure and separated one from the other, while providing a material which is flexible enough to provide for hinged portions or retaining elements which are required to flex in order to fasten the structures in place. The choice of material must of necessity, therefore, be one of compromise. In addition, many of the devices are formed such that an operator would require the assistance of another person in order to assemble the cables into the clamp or to remove an element from the clamp, when the clamp is retained onto a wall or other surface.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a clamp for retaining a plurality of cables or the like adjacent the wall surface which provides a rigid and firm clamping action on the cables when assembled into the clamp and provides a flexibility thereby allowing access to the cables within the clamp when desired.
Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp for retaining a plurality or cables or the like adjacent a wall surface which is easily accessible and which allows for removal of the cables from, or assembly of the cables into the clamp by a single operator, that is the clamp may be swung open about an axis around a hinge and snapped closed about an axis normal to the swinging motion that is used to open it.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a plastic clamp of the type described which is so designed and constructed as to be mass produced by co-extruding a plurality of plastic materials.